My New Toys!!!

I finally got a couple pictures of my bike and the bike trailer that I got for mother's day:

Beautiful, huh? I love red! Last week Sammy and I biked to the grocery store and back, about 5 or 6 miles round trip. I thought that it would be way harder than it was, and I now I'm all ambitious and I will definitely be doing it every week, along with lots of other errands and things. I figure that maybe if I get used to biking everywhere we'll FINALLY be able to sell our Mini and be a one-car family, hahaha. Paul is jealous of my biking and wants to join me - I've been checking craigslist for a bike for him but no luck so far.

On top of my fantastic bike, I was the recipient of a FABULOUS gift last week: A PIANO!! This amazing lady in my ward bought this used upright a couple years ago with ambitions to learn how to play...and then never did. :) So rather than do the obvious thing and sell the piano, she was a total saint and sent out an email to the ward saying she wanted to give it a good home. Enter Mary, who has been wishing and wishing for a piano since she got married. I am SO EXCITED about this!! Since we live on the 3rd floor of a building sans elevators and only for a little while, we decided to keep it in the garage. Here's the only 2 shots I've taken so far - I've been too busy playing and playing (poor neighbors!) to take more:



A little wobbly, a little out of tune and a little grimy, but my favorite thing ever. I am SO grateful to be able to develop my musical talents again! The thing about it, though, is that I really haven't played in like 5 years. In my head I was still acceptably good, and it would be a matter of minutes to warm up back to my old skill level. YIKES, was I ever completely off the mark. I am TERRIBLE. However, I've been practicing an hour or so a day, and I'm slowly but surely getting better. I'll post a video in a few months when I'm decent again. :)

Once again, THANK YOU PAUL, and THANK YOU NICKY!!!

love, mary